Coffee Review: Dave's PNG

My search for coffee in the Rhode Island/New England area is an ongoing process. Yesterday I stumbled upon some coffee, I almost missed. Tucked away in a pretty cool neighborhood on S. Main St. in Providence is Dave's Coffee. I almost missed it, because as I was looking for the cafe, I went by it.

Dave's is a certified organic coffee roaster. According to their website, they use a 12 kilo drum roaster, which can roast 30 lbs of coffee. When things are humming, they can roast 700 lbs of coffee a day. This would be the definition of small batch roaster.

The staff could not have been nicer as I was trying to decide what to order. The woman at the counter told me they had a special - 2 bags of coffee for $20. With a blizzard approaching,  I thought it was good to stock up. I got a decaf and a Papua New Guinea. This morning I made the PNG.

This coffee is a medium/darker roast. Upon first sip, I tasted chocolate and a bit of citrus. Like a good many coffees from that part of the world, there is an earthiness to it, but it doesn't overwhelm. In this case, the earthy quality gives this coffee a richness I didn't expect.

This is a pretty strong coffee. On our Bean Scale of Strength, this is 3.5 out of 5. It will wake you up, but won't punch you in the face.

This is an excellent coffee, which I enthusiastically recommend. Sometimes you have to search for a gem, and Dave's is a gem.

Their cafe was delightful. I'm only sorry I was just passing through. This is a fun, laid back place to chill. The staff could not have been nicer.  The guy making Mark's Soy Cappuccino was talking to everyone like he'd known them for years. This is a place where no one is a stranger, and everyone is a friend.

I've been very lucky in Providence, in that I have found not 1, not 2, but 3 excellent coffee roasters. This may be the secret of Providence, it's really a coffee roasters' hub, and no one has known it. Seek out Dave's and get some coffee.

www.davescoffeestore.com

Charlie